TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — If Taiwan explains the status quo in cross-strait relations as a “Commonwealth,” it can avoid a costly war with China, former Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo said Wednesday (Sept. 13).

He was speaking at a forum in Taipei about Singapore’s views on Taiwan-China relations, the China Times reported. Yeo’s suggestions were based on the premise that the current status quo was impossible to continue as the military balance had shifted in Beijing’s favor.

Once China assumes the United States is unable to stop unification, it would increase political, economic, and military pressure on Taiwan, according to Yeo. China would only accept the status quo for a number of years if it knew that unification would come at the end, he said.

The former diplomat said the “Commonwealth” formula would be acceptable to China and “give young Taiwanese hope,” per the China Times. Under the formula, Taiwan and China could hold regular meetings to discuss differences, he added.

While a level of consensus about “one China” was necessary in Taiwan, it could not be too precise and detailed either, said Yeo, advocating a certain degree of vagueness. The alternative would be a terrible war between Taiwan and China, with or without U.S. intervention, the former foreign minister said.

During his address, Yeo also said he understood why many Taiwanese did not want to become part of China. They had experienced martial law under the rule of the Kuomintang (KMT), and did not want to live through a similar period under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, he said.